Happy Birthday, Shepard
by jediserenity82
Summary: Carli Shepard hadn't had the easiest childhood. Growing up on the dirty streets of Earth with no family to speak of. As a result, she absolutely hates celebrating her birthday. It's up to her boyfriend, Garrus Vakarian and the rest of the Normandy's crew to show her that her life is worth celebrating, and that, even in the midst of a war, she is still entitled to relax and have fun
1. Chapter 1

So, this is basically a one-shot that will be divided up into 2-3 parts. It was getting pretty long so I stopped here for now to break it up. I hope you guys like it. Feedback is always appreciated! The next few parts will be up in a few days! :)

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Garrus Vakarian grinned in triumph. He had just broken his record – he had improved the Normandy's weapon system by point four-three percent, much to Legion's surprise and annoyance. If a synthetic _could _be surprised and annoyed, anyway.

"How did you accomplish this?" Legion's voice asked from the comm unit.

If he were petty, which he wasn't, Garrus would have considered borrowing a page out of Jack's book, and telling the geth to "suck it." Whatever that meant. Instead, he just grinned and answered, "A little secret we organics like to keep: always hold some back for emergencies."

"Is our current situation an emergency?"

The turian snorted. "A geth meddling with our computers, telling me how to do _my_ job? Nah, I can't imagine that would qualify." he quipped sarcastically.

When no response came, Garrus turned from the console and headed out into the mess hall, surprised to find most of the Normandy's rag-tag band of misfits sitting around one of the tables. Kaidan, Liara, and Tali were seated on one side, while Traynor, Cortez, and James were seated on the other. It was still very early in the morning cycle for them to be up. Immediately, Garrus was worried he had forgotten about a scheduled briefing, but looking around, he couldn't see Shepard anywhere.

Finally spotting him, Liara quickly waved him over. "You guys are up early. What's going on?" he asked when he reached the table.

"What are you getting Shepard?" Tali asked, her hands wringing together excitedly.

He frowned. "Come again?"

"We were debating on whether or not we should go all in together to get her one big gift, or just buy something individually," Liara informed him. "We're just trying to decide on what to get if we go in together." she looked at him expectantly. "I assume you've already planned something, but you're welcome to go in with us."

"We've booked a private room at Purgatory, too." Tali exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, okay. You guys have lost me. What's this for?" Garrus had a horrible feeling he was missing something very important, and the looks the others were throwing at him confirmed his fear.

"Oh, Keelah. Don't tell me you forgot, you bosh'tet." Tali groaned, shooting him a look of disapproval.

He felt his stomach drop. Dammit, he had missed something. Whatever it was, it was big. "Of course not. I wouldn't do that." he responded unconvincingly. "Forget what?"

Liara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, Garrus..."

"Garrus, tomorrow is Shepard's birthday." Kaidan told him. Garrus thought he could see a look of smug satisfaction on the biotic's face, but it was gone far too quickly for him to be sure. Apparently he was still a little upset that Shepard had chosen a _turian_ over him.

"What? She never told me when her birthday was!" Pulling a chair from one of the empty tables, he sat, dejected, with his head in his hands. "Spirits, what am I going to do?"

He tried to do the math in his head. How could he have served with her for so long and _not_ have known when her birthday was? It didn't make any sense.

Then it hit him. They were always separated around this time of year. It had already passed when he was first recruited aboard the Normandy. Garrus had returned to the Citadel and C-Sec before the Collectors had attacked and she had been killed. He guessed he had just narrowly missed her last birthday before she had found him on Omega.

"Don't worry, Scars. We'll be landing on the Citadel in a few hours. I'm sure you can find something for Lola there. Or, ya know, help us decide on what to get and go in with us." James grinned, clamping a heavy hand on the turian's shoulder.

"How is it that all of you know about this and I don't?" he asked, glancing around the table at each of his friends.

"Liara told me," Tali confirmed as James and Cortez nodded in unison.

"Me, too." Traynor said.

Garrus shot the asari a look of mock annoyance. "Thanks for letting _me_ know. Don't worry about the boyfriend or anything, he doesn't need to know something as important as a birthday." he teased.

Liara gave him an apologetic smile. "I assumed that already you knew, Garrus. That's why I didn't say anything. I'm sorry."

Kaidan cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "When we were, uh, together, she told me. Had to force it out of her though."

Frowning, Garrus tried to ignore the instant jealousy surging through him. Shepard had told Kaidan, but not him? "Why?"

He shrugged. "She never told me why, but she doesn't like to celebrate them. Says they're a waste of time and credits."

"Then why are we bothering to throw a party if she doesn't celebrate?" Cortez asked nervously. "Won't that just make her uncomfortable?'

Liara shook her head. "No, she needs this, whether she wants to admit it or not. Shepard's been under so much stress because of the war, she needs something to take her mind off of everything. Especially with losing Mordin _and _Thane..."

Shepard had taken the deaths of two of her closest friends extremely hard. Garrus had spent the next few nights holding her as she cried until she eventually passed out from sheer exhaustion. Not that she had slept well in the past year regardless. He couldn't recall how many nights he'd been jolted awake by her screaming and thrashing around in her sleep. She had told him that her nightmares usually consisted of one of two things: the lives of the loved ones she'd lost over the course of the war, reliving their deaths over and over again. That or she was forced to relive her _own_ death as she was blown out of the original Normandy and into the dark, endless void, slowly suffocating as she desperately tried to plug the leak in her hardsuit that was venting her precious oxygen into space.

Garrus visibly shuddered, trying to rid himself of the horrible images from his mind. Those two years she had been gone had been the worst of his life. He and Shepard had developed a close friendship while aboard the Normandy SR-1, but her death had impacted his life in a way he hadn't been expecting. But it wasn't until after she had miraculously shown back up, two years later, pulling his ass out of the fire he had created on Omega that it truly hit him. Why he had resigned himself to death on that shithole station with no regrets.

He hadn't just lost his best friend when the Normandy was attacked, he had lost the woman he loved.

Even if that woman, technically, belonged to someone else, and that someone had technically been his friend.

The turian still felt a _little_ guilty about it. Had Kaidan not said the hateful things that he had to Shepard when they had encountered him on Horizon, he never would had acted on his feelings. Probably. But he had hurt her in such a way that she just couldn't bring herself to go back to him. Not as lovers anyway.

He genuinely liked Alenko, though him pointing a gun at her during the Cerberus coup on the Citadel had left a bad taste in the turian's mouth. He was lucky Shepard had stopped him before he pulled the trigger on his own gun.

After deliberating for a while, the group had decided to go in on a pricey automatic fish feeder for the tank in Shepard's cabin. Maybe not the most efficient gift, unlike the new Black Widow sniper rifle Garrus had _his_ eye on, or the M-7 Lancer he had caught Shepard drooling over, but honestly, the turian wouldn't miss the "burials at sea" that his crazy girlfriend insisted on when she forget to feed the things. No matter how cute she was when she teared up over the loss of her aquatic pets.

It wasn't her fault, however. She'd been at the head of this war for years now and a lot was riding on her, so much resting on her shoulders. So much that she could be forgiven for forgetting to hit a button every day.

Though, how her hamster was still alive was a complete mystery to Garrus...the poor thing had spent six months running around the engineering deck while the Alliance were working on the retrofits. How it hadn't been stepped on was beyond him.

Garrus glanced down at his omni-tool, checking the time. Shepard would be down from her cabin in about fifteen minutes. "Alright, we've got fifteen minutes tops before she's moving around. Fill me in on this party."

Liara grinned and punched something into her omni-tool. "I'm sending you all a copy of my itinerary. Garrus, you'll need to get Shepard there at twenty-one-hundred hours. The rest of us will be arrive an hour early to set up."

"What do you need me to do until then?" he asked.

"Just keep her distracted and away from Purgatory. She'll get suspicious if she sees us all running around there."

Garrus flared his mandibles in a wide, cheeky turian grin. "_That_ I can do." he retorted, throwing as much innuendo into it as he could possibly manage.

He snorted at the collective groans around the table. "Keelah," Tali mumbled, hands coming up to cover her mask. "it's way too early for those images to be stuck in my head, Garrus."

Still grinning, the turian stood and made his way over to the kitchenette area. Knowing Shepard would be down in the CIC area in a few short minutes, he began preparing her coffee for her, the way he knows she likes it, with just the right amount of cream and sugar. If there was one thing the Commander used the Alliance budget for to indulge in, it was to make sure the crew had the best caffeinated beverages (both dextro and levo varieties) available.

He listened as Liara assigned tasks to each of the crew assignments and requisitions for the party tonight, and Garrus was suddenly glad that he seemed to have lucked out and got the easiest job by far: distract Shepard (that should be _lots_ of fun) and make sure she made it to the party on time.

All he had to do was figure out what _he_ should get her. Sure, he was contributing to the extremely expensive auto feeder, but he needed to get her some...personal. While he knew she would love to get her hands on that Lancer, that wasn't the type of gift you gave to your _human_ girlfriend, military or not.

"When did you become so...domestic?" Kaidan teased, coming up behind him to refill his own coffee.

Garrus was saved from answering though when EDI's voice interrupted his snarky retort from the mess hall's comm system. "Dr. T'Soni, per your request, I am informing you that Commander Shepard has entered the CIC and is currently checking her messages at her terminal."

The asari smiled, closing down her omni-tool. "Thank you, EDI." she stood. "I'm going to go speak with Javik and see if he would like to join us tonight."

"Aww," Vega crooned, standing and pinching Liara's cheek playfully. "I think you've got a little crush on our surly prothean friend, Liara."

Garrus couldn't help but snicker as he watched the asari's cheeks turn a pretty shade of indigo as she shoved James' hand angrily away from her face and Cortez's halfhearted attempts to get the muscled Alliance soldier to leave the girl alone.

"Oh!" Liara suddenly turned her attention away from James. "I nearly forgot. Everyone dress up, please. We don't get the chance often, and I want to make this a special evening for Shepard."

Side stepping Alenko, the turian started to head up to the CIC, but stopped, turning back to his friends, looking thoughtful. Shepard didn't really have anything fancy in the way of clothing, that he knew of, except some N7 standard issued black dress that she absolutely hated. He grimaced. Shopping for clothes for Shepard was something he absolutely could _not_ do. He had enough trouble dressing himself.

But, that was something he wanted to do, and something she would not expect. He could always transfer credits to a chit and let her do her own shopping, but that was too impersonal. No, he would do it, but he was going to need help. "Uh, could I recruit one of your ladies to help me find something for her to wear tonight, and another to distract her for a couple of hours?"

"I can keep her distracted," Tali answered eagerly. "but I'm not exactly knowledgeable about human fashion."

Garrus nodded his thanks, then turned his pleading eyes towards Liara and Traynor.

"I would, but I already have plans with Diana. We're supposed to meet for lunch." Traynor said with a slight blush tinting her darker skin.

Nodding in understanding, and briefly thinking he'd have to thank Traynor later on for getting Allers' attention away from Shepard (because dammit if that woman wasn't pushy), he turned to the asari. "C'mon, Liara. You can't let me go _dress shopping _on my own. All of the other snipers will make fun of me."

"I'm not a sniper, but I'm still gonna make fun of you, Scars." Vega taunted as he and Cortez headed towards the elevator.

"Like you just said, you're not a sniper. Your opinion is moot."

Liara's lip quirked at his desperate expression, and thankfully took pity on him. "Very well. I'd be glad to help you find an outfit for her."

The turian, ever grateful, squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you in advance for saving my pride. But now, I need to get this coffee to Shepard before it gets cold or she'll she start headbutting everyone like a krogan."

When he finally reached the CIC, she was still standing at her terminal, her back to him. To his surprise, she wasn't wearing her normal Alliance BDU's, instead opting for an oversized plum colored sweater that hung loosely off of her pale left shoulder, much to Garrus' delight, and a pair of black leggings. Her chocolate brown hair was piled high and messy on the top of her head, loose strands hanging about her face. The turian rarely got to see her this casual, this relaxed outside of their cabin, and, to him, she was beautiful.

As quietly as he could (which wasn't easy considering he was wearing his armor), he walked up behind her as he slid the coffee mug onto the table, grinning impishly at her startled yelp. "There's my girl," he purred softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face into the crook of her gloriously exposed neck, taking the scent of her freshly washed skin.

"Mmm," he could hear hear the smile in her voice as she reached her hand back to caress the side of his face. "Morning, handsome."

Garrus was quiet for a few moments as she took her first sips of her coffee and leaned back against his armored chest. It couldn't have been comfortable, but he just couldn't bring himself to let her go this morning. "I heard something about you earlier." he breathed against her skin. It was taking a lot of his self control not to drag her upstairs to their cabin.

Shepard snorted and sat her mug back onto the table and slowly turned in his arms. "There's a lot to choose from," she teased with a grin, deep blue eyes shining. "Let me guess. I'm sleeping with the Illusive Man? I have an illegitimate child with a krogan somewhere?"

He chuckled, resting his forehead against hers as he pulled her closer. His purr deepened as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why didn't you tell me that tomorrow was your birthday?"

She immediately stiffened in his embrace and her smile slowly fell. "How did you find out?"

Damn it, Alenko had been right. Shepard really _did _hate celebrating her birthday. _But _why_?_ He, for one, thought her birth was definitely worthy of a celebration. "Uh, a little birdie told me."

Shepard closed her eyes, sighing. "A little _blue_ birdie?"

The turian nodded reluctantly and tightened his arms around her waist. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked again, trying to hide the hurt in his voice. "I was actually the last to know."

She groaned and laid her head on his armored chest. "So _everyone_ knows now?"

He shrugged. "It would appear so." That, at least, wasn't _his_ fault.

She sighed again and reached for her mug. Shepard was definitely going to need more caffeine to get to be able to get through this conversation. She had never meant to hurt Garrus' feelings by not telling him, which it was obvious to her now that she had. Reaching up, she lightly ran the fingers of her free hand along his colony markings across his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Garrus. I...just don't celebrate my birthday. I never have."

Garrus stared at her patiently, waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn't, he gently nudged her temple with his nose. "Shepard,"

Shepard took another sip of coffee before speaking, eyes averted. "You know I didn't have a great childhood, Garrus."

He nodded, recalling the story of her growing up on the streets back on Earth after her parents disappeared. She'd had no family, no friends. Not until the Tenth Street Reds took her in. Realization hit him hard, leaving him feeling like he had just been punched in the gut.

They might have kept her mostly fed and clothed, but Garrus doubted they gave enough crap about her to throw her a birthday party. A slow, predatory growl began to rumble in his chest as particular images of some of the unpleasant things that happened to Shepard's younger self flooded his mind.

She gave him a sad smile, reaching up with her free hand to stroke gently behind his fringe, bringing his forehead to rest against hers once more, sensing his distress and somehow knowing what was going on in his head. She always knew. "Hey, come back to me. I'm okay."

Nodding again, he hugged her to him. "I understand now why you haven't celebrated before, Shepard." he whispered into her hair. "I know you never had a real family to have those memories with." he looked down at her then, seeing the painful memories there that she tried so hard to hide. "But your birth is worth celebrating, Carli."

When she didn't speak, he watched her eyes soften at his use of her first name, he lightly brushed the tip of his pointed tongue against her lips, his version of a chaste kiss. "Let me spoil you for a day. Please."

Finally, Shepard's lips quirked up ever so slightly and he could see her resolve waver. "I can do that, if you promise me that it'll be just you and me. No parties, nothing extravagant."

Garrus swallowed. A good turian wouldn't try to lie to their commanding officer, not to mention one that was also their lover.

But Garrus Vakarian had never been a very good turian, even if he did hate the thought of lying to her. He never had before. Liara had been right, after all. Carli Shepard needed a break and some time to relax. And dammit, she deserved a birthday party.

_It's for a good cause,_ he resigned himself. So, taking a deep breath, Garrus lied to the woman he loved for the very first time. "Of course. Just you and me."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who favorited/followed this story! I hope you guys are liking it. We have approximately two more chapters to go (has to be the longest one-shot I've ever done lol) before we're done!

Also, please excuse any typos or anything I might have missed. It's 3am here and I'm beyond tired.

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Chapter Two

Carli Shepard growled in frustration as she once again received a busy signal while trying to ping Garrus on his omni-tool. Why wasn't he answering? He had promised that they would spend the day together, just the two of them, and now she couldn't even find him.

If she was honest with herself, she was actually looking forward to spending her birthday with him. He _had_ said that he hand a couple of errands to run, but that had been several hours ago and not a word from him since.

Strange thing was, she couldn't find anyone else either. Once she had come back to the Normandy from running her own errands, it was basically deserted and the place had been cleaned out in preparation for the repairs Admiral Hackett had ordered for . Even Joker, who seemed welded to his pilot's chair, was nowhere to be seen.

It had been easier over the past few years to completely forget this day even existed. There were always plenty of people around to distract her, things to do...wars to win. But now those feelings of abandonment that she had done her best to try to suppress since she was a child were starting to resurface.

The silence was deafening. She had to get out of here.

Just as she was about rush out of the airlock, a ping finally came through on her omni-tool. She grinned. _About time, Garrus!_

Unfortunately, it wasn't her turian lover, but the message had been from Tali, and Shepard was still grateful for the distraction. Making the connection, the quarian's masked face appeared in front of her.

"_Shepard! Where are you?"_

"I had to drop some stuff off at the docks and came back to the Normandy to meet with Garrus but I can't find him anywhere. Know where he is?" she asked hopefully.

There was the briefest moment of hesitation before Tali shook her head. "_No, sorry. I haven't seen him. But hey, if you're bored, I can come back to the Normandy and I can finally force you to watch _Fleet and Flotilla _with me."_

Shepard chuckled. Her quarian friend had been trying to get her to watch that movie with her for years now, but had thus far managed to talk her way out of it. She was about to decline again when a message pinged through her omni-tool.

_**Incoming Transmission: Garrus Vakarian (12:31): **__Shepard, errands are taking longer than expected. Probably a couple more hours. I'm sorry. Promise to make it up to you. I'll ping you when I'm done. Love – G._

Trying to force down her disappointment, she forced a smile for Tali. "Alright, but we can't use the Normandy. The maintenance crew are due any time now to begin the repairs Hackett requested."

Tali sighed, obviously feeling as disappointed as Shepard felt. "_Well, I guess the vid is out..._"

"Not necessarily," while she wasn't really interested in watching _Fleet and Flotilla,_ Carli was bored out of her mind and she obviously had time to kill before Garrus was free. Besides, she adored Tali, and they didn't get to spend much time together outside of the ship that didn't involve being shot at. "Anderson has left me his apartment over in the Sunset Strip. I'll send you the coordinates. Meet me there."

After ending the call with Tali, Shepard typed a quick response to Garrus.

_**Outgoing Transmission: Commander Carli Shepard (12:37):**_ _Garrus, just so you know, I'm going to hold you to that promise to get back into my good graces. Tali's finally cornered me into watching __**Fleet and Flotilla**__. Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to get out of this? – C._

Enough time had passed before Garrus replied to her message that the maintenance crew had arrived and she was forced to flee the Normandy. She was climbing into a skycab to take over to the Sunset Strip when her omni-tool pinged again.

_**Incoming Transmission: Garrus Vakarian (13:02): **__If I recall correctly, she's been trying to wrangle you in since the SR-1 days. It's basically a rite of passage for those in an inter-species relationship. Suck it up, birthday girl. It's only for an hour and a half. You'll survive. And as for the rest, lucky for you Archangel is your boyfriend, and Archangel __**always**_ _keeps his promises. Now leave me alone so I can get this crap done so I can come back and start making it up to you. Love – G._

_**Outgoing Transmission: Commander Carli Shepard (13:07): **__Someone's cranky. I promise I'll leave you alone now. We will be at Anderson's apartment. I'll send you the coordinates. Meet you there when you're done? - C._

His response was almost instantaneous.

_**Incoming Transmission: Garrus Vakarian (13:08): **__Looking forward to it. – G._

Shepard grinned, feeling a wave of heat spread through her body at his unspoken promises as she sent her lover the coordinates and the entry code to the apartment. Okay, so the day had started off rocky, but she was starting to feel the little bubble excitement growing again. All she had to do was sit through an overrated movie for a few hours until she could be with Garrus. The prospects of this being possibly the best birthday she'd ever had made her smile as the skycab finally reached it's destination.

After finding her way to Tiberius Towers (which took her longer than expected – the place was insanely crowded with people), Shepard spotted Tali waiting patiently outside of the complex.

Shepard smiled fondly at the young quarian, who perked up immediately the moment she spotted her friend. "You ready to do this, Tali?"

"Are you _kidding?_ I've been trying to get you to watch this vid for three and a half years, Shepard." she teased. "I can never doubt your evasive capabilities."

The Commander snorted as she unlocked the door and ushered Tali inside. "Technically, I was dead for two of those years." Her cerulean eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. The apartment was warm, inviting, and lavishly decorated. "Wow. I think I should ask the Alliance for a raise."

Tali glanced around the huge lounge area, wringing her hands nervously as she turned back to her friend. "I can't believe Admiral Anderson just _gave_ you this apartment." Even through the mask Shepard could see the worried expression on her face. "Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?"

Shepard gave her an exasperated look and rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, Tali. The days you had to worry about where you could and _thought_ you couldn't go are far behind you." Placing an arm around her friend's shoulders, she escorted her towards the large flat screen above the fireplace. "Now come on Tali'Zoarh vas Normandy, let's do this before I come up with a clever scheme to avoid this vid for another three years."

* * *

Garrus was fairly certain he was about ten seconds from completely losing his mind.

Liara had already dragged him into four different clothing shops that catered to both asari and humans alike and they still hadn't purchased _anything._ All of the different styles and fabrics and the variety of options were starting to all blur together and make the turian's head spin. Satin or silk, tulle or lace, chiffon, or organza. Then there all of the different lengths, too, ranging from super long to super slutty.

"What about this one?" Liara suggested, holding up what was probably number fifty-two of their search. She held up a simple black sheath dress against her body to try to give him more of a visual to what it might look like on Shepard.

The turian eyed the dress critically. "Too plain, and it doesn't show off her shoulders."

Groaning, Liara shoved the dress back onto the rack and rounded on him, hands on hips to emphasize her frustration. "By the Goddess, Vakarian. We've been at this for over three hours. I do have a party to organize, you know."

Garrus smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his fringe. "Sorry, Liara. I'm just really out of my element here. Need a new sniper rifle or a mod? I'm your turian. Need a merc taken down? Call me. But _this,_" he gestured around him, accidentally smacking his hand into a nearby mannequin, catching it quickly before it fell to the floor. "this is _not_ my area of expertise." he sighed. "I just want to make sure she likes it. That's all."

The asari's face softens and she gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll find something."

Crossing her arms, she glanced around the store thoughtfully before turning her attention back to him. "Okay, let's try to narrow down our options. Let's start with color."

Garrus didn't even have to think about it. "Blue. Definitely blue." He'd always loved the color on Shepard. He could almost pretend it was her way of wearing his colony markings. He pointed to his face. "Something close to this."

"From what we've look at so far, you seem to favor dresses that accentuate around the waist and hips area or are off-the-shoulder." she grinned knowingly at her friend. "I take it those are assets that turians are...drawn to."

"Uh, yeah." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Turians are, uh, attracted to the sharper angles of our females."

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that Shepard is not a turian, Garrus," Liara teased, lips quirked up in amusement.

He snorted. "Oh believe me, I've noticed." he paused thoughtfully. "Honestly, I'm not sure I would have fallen in love with her if she were a turian." It's not until the words tumble out of his mouth that he realizes how true the statement actually is. Sure, life would probably be easier on them if they were the same species. At first the two weren't sure they could even have a physical relationship, and it had started off damn awkward on that first night they were together. But somehow things had just...fit. It was still astounding to him just how compatible they actually were, both mentally and physically. They were always in sync, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom.

They spent nearly every night together after the destruction of the Collector base. Garrus had even moved his belongings into her cabin shortly after. They were finally able to relax and enjoy each other.

That is, until Shepard told him that she was going to turn herself over to the Alliance for the destruction of the Bahak system.

He had been livid. Not at Carli, of course, but with Admiral Hackett for sending her on that damn mission in the first place. He had sent Shepard into a dangerous situation – alone – and now she was having to pay the price for trying to save the entire galaxy. She had single-handedly delayed the reaper invasion by destroying that relay. Granted, it resulted _had _in the death of over three-hundred thousand batarians. It had ripped Shepard apart, and she accepted the consequences without so much as a complaint.

Garrus had tried to insist on following her to Earth, he couldn't let her face judgment alone. Unfortunately, she talked him out of it, reminding him that Palaven and his people needed to prepare for the reapers arrival. She had been right, of course, not that it had made the decision any easier. He had tried to keep in contact with her though, but any and all communication attempts had been denied by the Alliance.

The time away from her had been rough, especially when his mother passed away. He was thankful, however, that he had told his mom and his sister Solana about his relationship with Shepard before died. They had been thrilled that Garrus had finally found a mate, and had told him that it didn't matter that she wasn't a turian, as long as he was happy, and that that was the only thing his mother ever wanted for her children.

His only regret was that he hadn't been able to introduce Carli to his family like he had planned to do eventually, once their relationship had escalated. He'd just...run out of time.

He hadn't quite worked up to telling his father yet. Not that he cared what the old man thought. He loved Shepard, and that was all that mattered.

No, what they had wasn't easy, but Garrus Vakarian wasn't looking for easy. What they did have was as close to perfect as he could possibly get. He didn't want easy.

He wanted Carli Shepard, for however long they might have left.

Liara touched his arm, pulling him from his thoughts and causing him to jump slightly. She grinned. "Come on, let's keep looking."

Nodding, he followed his asari friend, scanning the store in hopes of finding something suitable. Finally, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a mannequin sporting a particularly alluring dress. His mandibles spread in a slow smile as he grabbed Liara's arm, halting her movements and pointed. "There, that one. That's it."

Liara glanced in the direction he was pointing to and grinned. "It's stunning, Garrus. I think it will look incredible on Carli." She walked briskly over to the rack of dresses and started sifting through them, trying to find one in Shepard's size. She grinned in triumph as she chose one. "Oh thank the Goddess."

"So we're done here?" he asked hopefully.

She giggled. "Not quite. She's going to need a nice pair shoes."

The turian's shoulders slumped. He really had not thought this whole shopping excursion though properly. "Fine."

"It would probably be a good idea to get her some accessories to match, too. A nice bracelet or necklace." Liara mused, tapping a slender finger against her chin in thought.

Garrus frowned. "You do realize there is a _limit_ to my credit funds, right? I was an unemployed vigilante for the best part of two years, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "They don't have to be expensive, Garrus. Costume jewelry will work just as well."

"Is it too late to get Traynor to help me? Or Legion. EDI, maybe."

"EDI would bring Joker, and you'd never get out of the lingerie department."

He blanched. "Excuse me?"

Turning to him, she gave him an exasperated look, though the asari did have the decency to blush a little. "Well, with the cut of that dress, Shepard's going to need special kind of underwear-"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

* * *

Two hours and four hundred credits later, an exhausted Garrus finally arrived at the apartment complex that housed Anderson's apartment. He was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that the older man just _gave_ his apartment to Carli. Though, in retrospect, he understand why. He knew about her childhood, having grown up on the streets with no parents. Hell, he had been the one to find her and took her in when she was seventeen.

Though the turian didn't really know the man well, he had the utmost respect for him and for everything he'd done for Shepard. Had he not convinced her to join the Alliance, Garrus probably never would have met her.

He entered the apartment as quietly as he could, not wanting Carli to spot the garment bag that was slung over his shoulder or the numerous other bags clutched in his hands. _Where the hell am I going to hide this stuff?_

Luck must have been on his side for once, because Shepard had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the still-lit fireplace. He stood there for a few moments, watching her sleep peacefully for a change, and feeling guilty he had made her wait so long.

Glancing around, he noticed a bedroom near the entrance, deciding to deposit the bags in the closet until later. For now, he was going to let Carli sleep.

He decided to tour the apartment, checking out extravagant decorations. The kitchen was huge, which he knew she would love. Shepard had always enjoyed cooking, or so she'd told him, and everyone aboard the Normandy had always stated that she was really good at it. He felt a pang of regret that he could never enjoy her meals. They had both lucked out in that neither of them had allergic reactions to each other, the food held no nutritional value for either of them. But if that was the only down side to their relationship, they were doing all right.

His mouth dropped open when he found the master bedroom upstairs, complete with an en suite bathroom and hot tub. They would definitely have to try that out later. _Spirits, the possibilities._

That would have to come later, though. Right now, he was going to let Shepard rest, and after the morning he'd had, he was in need of a nap himself.

Stripping off his armor, he stashed it in the corner of the room and headed back downstairs. Off to his left was a room he'd missed during his initial inspection. A poker table. Nice.

He quietly walked back over to where Shepard was resting and, as gently as he could, lifted her into his arms. She stirred, but thankfully didn't wake. Garrus carried her upstairs and laid her carefully on the bed, brushing the chocolate brown strands of hair off of her forehead before crawling in next to her and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

She curled into him in her sleep as he pulled the covers over them, making sure to set an alarm on his omni-tool to wake them in time for their dinner reservations before the party.

_It's going to be a long night_, he thought to himself as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder as he started to drift off. _But it's going to be so worth it._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** So sorry this took so long to get out! I was hit with a case of writer's block for this particular story!

Chapter Three

Garrus was being slowly coaxed into consciousness by the sensations of soft, human lips pressing into the sensitive, unplated skin underneath his jaw. With a growling purr, he tightened his arms around the small woman in his arms. "That's certainly more effective than the alarm I set," he mumbled, his voice deeper than usual and still coated with sleep. He groaned as he felt the warm tingle of her biotics caressing over his skin.

"I can always let you go back to sleep," Carli teased, moving closer and closer to his mouth, her warm breath tickling his across his skin. "if you want."

Keeping his face free of expression, he grabbed her pillows and shoved them behind his head to support his fringe so he could roll over onto his back comfortably, and closed his eyes. "Sounds good."

Shepard pulled away, gaping at her turian. "Seriously?"

He tried not to grin and failed, as he opened one eye to look over at her. "What? I'm tired. You woke me up before the alarm. I still have time to sleep."

Pursing her lips, she crawled over him, straddling his hips. "Come on, Garrus," she whined. "You left me here all day to watch that horrible movie. You promised you'd make it up to me."

Garrus couldn't hold back his chuckle at her pleading tone. "Ah, Carli. Fleet and Flotilla isn't _that_ bad."

Crinkling her nose, she gave him a dubious look. "It's not that good, either."

"True. Great soundtrack though."

Rolling her sapphire eyes, Shepard leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his. "Now, are you gonna start making it up to me," she shifted her hips, grinning seductively as his breath caught in response, "or are you going to waste our shore leave on sleep?"

The turian gripped her hips to still her movements. Oh, how he wanted to give into her. Hell, his plates had started shifting the moment she placed those soft, fleshy lips on his skin, and her being above him wasn't helping. But Garrus had very specific plans for this evening, and he wasn't about to ruin them. Still, he couldn't stop his hands from trailing up her back until one of them reached the amp port at the back of her hairline, gently bringing her mouth down to meet his.

He could feel the triumphant grin against his mouth plates as she slid her small, delicate hands up his chest to caress his fringe. "I missed you today," she breathed.

Pride and happiness swelled in his chest at her words. Never in a million years had Garrus thought he would ever meet a woman who wanted him, let alone miss him in his absence, especially a human woman. Before meeting Shepard, he had resigned himself to be nothing more than a casual fling among turian females. He was far too awkward around the opposite sex when it came to initiating in conversation that didn't revolve around weapons or military jargon.

Conversations had always been easy with Carli, up until their relationship finally shifted when he had inadvertently mentioned a prior liaison with a certain recon scout during his time in the turian military, leading to their decision to "blow off steam" together. Then, of course, he wasn't able to keep his foot out of his mouth. She didn't seem to mind, though. Apparently, she found it endearing.

Reaching up, he gently removed the elastic band from her hair, watching, mesmerized, as it cascaded down her shoulders to the top of her breasts. He couldn't stop the urge to run his talons through the silken dark strands. "You have no idea how much I would have preferred to have been with you today," he kissed her again, slow and sweet. "But we'll have all day tomorrow just the two of us. How does that sound?"

"Mmm," she smiled, trailing kisses once again down his neck, finding the sensitive area once again with her tiny, blunt teeth. "Sounds perfect, but I say we start the festivities right now."

Garrus stifled a moan as she shifted her hips over his teasingly at the same time she bit down harder on the spot on his neck. "Carli," he groaned, his hips instinctively bucking up to meet hers. He was really hoping to save this until after the party, but she was making waiting incredibly difficult.

Sensing his indecision, she sat up, grinning impishly down at him before removing her sweater in one quick motion. Shepard gently grasped his hands in hers and slowly drew his hands up her sides to rest just under her bra.

The turian swallowed hard, his throat dry as his body and mind warred with one another. He'd made very specific plans for this evening, plans he was looking forward to. But, spirits, she was driving him mad. Plus, the war was keeping them both so busy that they didn't get to spend as much time together as either of them would have liked.

Shepard shifted her hips again, slow and deliberate. _Screw it,_ his body finally won the battle. He sat up and drew her closer, pressing his mouth to hers as his hands found the back clasp of her bra.

The screeching alarm from his omni-tool blared to life, causing both of them jump. Garrus groaned as he flopped back down onto his pile of pillows, both relieved and highly disappointed at the interruption.

Shepard, though, was just annoyed. "What the hell is that for?"

He chuckled at her peeved expression. "We have reservations at the Ambiance in just under two hours. We have to get ready."

She grinned, a slow, seductive tilt of lips as she leaned down once more to run the tip of her tongue over his mouth plates. "That's my favorite place."

"I know."

Trailing a hand slowly down his carapace and stomach… and dipped lower. "Two hours, huh? Plenty of time."

Growling, the turian gripped her hips, and in one swift movement, had her pinned beneath him. "You will be the death of me yet, woman." He kissed her quickly before moving away and off the bed, amused at her disapproving scowl, he gently grasped her hands and pulled her up with him. "Come on. Into the shower with you."

She pouted, sticking her plump bottom lip out as she leaned against his chest and gazed up at him from underneath her long eyelashes. "You're not going to join me?"

Garrus snorted at her pitiful, yet oddly sexy expression. "Carli, if I join you, we'll never make it out of the apartment and we'll miss our reservations." he nuzzled his nose into her hair before pushing her towards the bathroom. "Now go."

Shepard stuck her tongue out at him as she brushed past him, but stopped half way to the bathroom, her shoulders slumping. "Ugh. The Ambiance is classy restaurant. The only thing I have to wear is that horrific N7 dress."

He laughed, ushering her out. "Don't worry. I'll have it sorted out by the time you're finished." he pushed her into the bathroom , closing the door on his way out, effectively cutting off her response.

Garrus waited until he heard the water turn on before heading to the guest room where he'd hidden his purchases, laying everything out on the bed for her. Satisfied, he went off to get himself ready, nervousness and excitement settling in his gut.

* * *

Carli stared open mouthed at the items that had been arranged neatly on the bed for her. She ran a hand over the silky texture of the dress. Garrus had chosen an entire outfit from top to bottom, and even underneath. Heat rushed to her face as she imagined the adorably awkward turian rummaging around a lingerie store. _Her _adorably awkward turian. The dress's color even reminded her of his colony markings.

The dress itself was stunning, though a little short, (stopping at just above mid-thigh) and...revealing for her tastes. Granted, she was used to her standard military fatigues and combat boots, not pretty dresses and high heels. _Heels!_ How in the hell was she supposed to walk in these things?

Biting her lip, she tossed her robe aside and replaced it with the barely-there underwear and strapless bra before sliding the dress on. She smirked and rolled her eyes the moment she looked into the full length mirror and realized _why_ he had chosen this particular dress.

From the right side, it looked like your typical cocktail dress with a three-quarter length sleeve. The left side, however was sleeveless, leaving her bare from her collarbone to her fingertips. It covered her at her breast, held together with a crystal studded clasp, enough covering to keep her modest. Two more clasps held the dress together just under her ribs and another above her hip.

Shepard had to admit, the dress did great things to get figure, though she felt way out of her comfort zone. Granted, anything outside of her BDU's or a pair of jeans and a t-shirt were out of her comfort zone.

She took a deep breath. She might be uncomfortable, but for Garrus, she'd suck it up.

* * *

Fastening the last clasp on his formal tunic, Garrus ventured out of the guest room, his stomach in knots. Would Carli like the dress he had chosen? Probably not, as anything that didn't bare the Alliance colors or were made of mesh and alloy were out of her norm.

His mandibles fluttered nervously as he made his way back to their bedroom. He froze in the doorway as his eyes found her, his breath caught in his throat.

Shepard was standing in the bathroom, her back to him as she piled her mass of wavy dark brown hair onto the top of her head in that way that she had described as a "stylish mess."

The turian swallowed hard. She looked incredible; the dress's material clung to her well toned body like a second skin. He was dangerously close to canceling their dinner reservations and saying to hell with the party. Shepard would never know, right?

A low rumble unconsciously started vibrating from his chest when she bent down to adjust the straps of the silver heels, causing the back of the dress to ride up the back of her thighs. He caught a glimpse of the lace edgings of the thigh-high stockings she had paired with the dress.

Shepard spun quickly, startled. She laughed breathlessly. "Dammit, Vakarian. Warn a girl you're there next time, will you? Save me from a heart attack." she scolded half-heartedly before turning back around to finish applying her makeup.

He chuckled as he moved towards her, crossing his arms over his chest, which he admitted to himself, was mostly to keep from touching her. He leaned against the door frame. "I do believe I have inadvertently resigned myself to a night of torture."

Garrus watched as Shepard's lips quirk into a knowing smile from her reflection in the mirror. "Oh?"

Pushing himself off the door frame, he slowly moved behind her, his hands automatically finding the curve of her hips and nuzzled his nose into her hair, savoring the lovely, floral scent. "You look incredible, Carli. It's going to be hell trying to behave myself in public with you looking like that."

She giggled and turned in his arms and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "You brought it on yourself, you know." Leaning up on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his mandible, smiling at the smudge her lipstick left behind and wiped it away with her thumb.

He sighed wistfully and pressed his forehead against hers. "Is it too late to cancel? You don't _really _need to eat, right?"

She snorted as she pulled away from him and exited the bathroom, making sure to add a little extra sway to her hips. "Sorry Vakarian, that ship has sailed. We humans have a saying back on Earth: 'You snooze, you lose'."

He watched he walk away and growled. "Spirits, I really hate losing."

Shepard watched with barely contained amusement as her turian lover fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. "Garrus? Are you sure you're alright? You've been acting strange all night, and I know it can't just be about the dress."

Garrus huffed, his mandibles flaring wide in embarrassment. "You say that, Shepard, but you haven't noticed all of the other men and woman checking you out all evening."

She snorted, placing her napkin onto the table. "You're delusional, Garrus. You're also deflecting my question."

The turian took a deep breath and reached across the table, taking her hand in his. He gently ran his thumb over her knuckles. The hand, once being so foreign to him with it's much smaller sizer, incredibly soft texture, and too many fingers now familiar and welcome. Those hands now represented a place of warmth, and comfort. Home. "You know, Carli, you've pretty much ruined me for the woman of my race," he paused, considering his words. "actually, you've ruined me for other women in general."

He was rewarded with a radiant smile on those soft pink lips as she raised his hand to her face, and pressed a kiss into his palm. Her azure eyes shining brightly as she regarded him. "Easy there, Garrus. You'll spoil a woman with talk like that."

Garrus chuckled, giving a slight tug on her hand to bring her forward enough so he could press his forehead against hers. "I'm okay with that."

They gazed at each other for a moment before he spoke again. Taking another deep breath, he leaned back slightly so he could see her face clearly. He briefly entertained the thought of how human males managed to do this without having a panic attack. Turian culture was so much easier.

He swallowed hard. He could do this. "Carli, I -"

"Could I get you two anything else?" the voice of their asari waitress interrupted.

The turian had a hard time suppressing the growl that started to rumble in his chest. Leaning back, he reluctantly let go of Shepard's hand, the moment effectively ruined. "Just the check, please."

* * *

Afterwards, Garrus ushered Shepard towards Purgatory. It was still another forty-five minutes before he had to escort her to the party. Plenty of time for a drinks maybe a little dancing.

He and the rest of the Normandy's crew had always teased the commander about her dancing, but the truth was, given the right music and tempo, she would get so caught up in the beat that she became just as graceful and sexy as she was on the battlefield.

Now here she was, her back pressed against his front, her arm stretched back around his neck, in the darkest corner of the club, with his hands tightly gripping her hips as they swayed to the music.

Garrus found himself not caring about all of the eyes watching them. Some of them judgmental due to the their unusual pairing. Turian and human couples weren't unheard of, but they certainly weren't commonplace. Others stared because of their respective statuses. There weren't many people these days who didn't know who Carli Shepard and Garrus Vakarian. The rest were staring because of envy, hungry eyes staring at the gorgeous woman in _his_ arms.

She was _his_, and if the rest of the night went as he hoped it would, she would be his for the rest of their lives.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking in her scent, a mixture of floral and spices he couldn't name, but was undeniably Shepard. He was secretly grateful that she couldn't hear the nervousness and anxiety screaming from his subharmonics.

Before he could stop himself, he slowly traced the line of her neck, up her jaw, stopping to nip gently at her ear. He grinned when he felt her shiver in his arms, and knew it had nothing to do with being cold. "Marry me, Shepard."

Shepard froze, and he immediately he began to panic. _Spirits, did I say it wrong? _Had he been misinterpreting their relationship this entire time? No, that couldn't be right. Carli had told him on many occasions that she loved him, and even if he had never said it back -

Realization smacked him hard in the face. _Stupid turian! _He scolded himself. Up until now, he hadn't realized it, but he had never said it back. Instead, he'd always answered it with a kiss or pressing their foreheads together. Could she really doubt how he felt about her?

Slowly, she turned in his arms, her blue eyes wide with shock as they met his terrified ones. "Wh-what?"

Garrus swallowed hard and pressed his forehead against hers in desperation, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest. "I love you, Carli Shepard. You have effectively ruined me for anyone else, human or turian. I want you as my bond mate - my wife - if you'll have me."

Carli stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. He opened his mouth to say something - _anything_ \- to get her snap her out of her dazed stupor. "Shep -"

His words were cut off by the press of her lips to his mouth plates and her arms snaking up to wind around his neck.

Shocked, it took the turian a moment to process what was going on before responding to her heated kiss with equal fervor. He moaned low in his throat, his own arms wrapping around her waist to pull her flush against his body.

"Yes," she whispered against his mouth. Pulling back slightly, she gazed up at him, her smile almost shy as tears glistened in those lovely sapphire pools. "nothing would make me happier than to be your mate. I love you, Garrus Vakarian."

He drew her to him again, assaulting her mouth with those human kisses he had grown to crave.

"Home," she demanded, breath warm on his face as her hands slid underneath his tunic to tease the unplated skin there. "take me home."

_Yes,_ he thought, _home. _He needed his woman in this moment more than he needed the air he breathed. But the apartment was _so far_ away.

He was vaguely aware there was something else he was supposed to be doing, but _spirits, _Shepard had his brain so addled with desire he couldn't think straight.

Looking around, he spotted a door in the back and pulled her towards it. A part of him felt a little ashamed for his impatience, and that their perfect evening shouldn't end in a broom closet, but his need for his mate in that moment was too intense. _I'll make it up to her later,_ he silently promised.

Garrus felt the smallest vibration coming from his omni-tool, that he _knew_ he should check, but Shepard's tongue was suddenly in his mouth and all thoughts that didn't surround her were lost.

Somehow, he managed to get the door opened without breaking contact with the alluring woman in his arms and pulled her into the darkness of the room.

Breathing ragged, Shepard wrapped herself around him, her soft mouth nipping at his as her nimble fingers teased the skin behind his fringe, eliciting a soft moan from the turian.

The light suddenly flipped on as an ear splitting shout of, "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday, Shepard!" reverberated throughout the room.

The couple froze, arms and mouths still locked together as they were met with the sounds of uncomfortable throat clearings, shouts of encouragement, and snickers of amusement.

Slowly, Shepard's head turned away from his, eyes settling on the familiar faces of her Normandy crew as they took in the couple undignified embrace as she finally registered what was going on. Her voice was low and threatening as she pulled away from him and smoothed her dress.

"You are so going to pay for this later."

* * *

If you'd like to see what Shepard's dress looks like, this is it: (just remove ALL spaces and replace the "dot" with a .)

image3 dot oasap dot com /o_img / 2014 / 03 / 07 / 37760 - 213814 - big / sexy - one - arm-mini - club - dress - blue dot jpg

I figured our resident turian would find that dress drool worthy ;)


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